Is a 04-05 Volvo Xc90 a good buy?

no money mo pro

Hi, we recently had our third child so I'm looking for an xc90. I have seen a few clean looking 04s and 05s online with 100-130k miles for € 4000-6000. I know they're old but 09s with similar mileage are €15-19k.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice and information Xc90 owners could give me.

Many thanks.

RobAMerc

I've been told the gearboxes cause issues after 100k and can be pricey yo fix.

no money mo pro

Bump

kay 9

I'd rate them highly. Good 2.4 td. Easy work on etc. Comfortable. Biggest downside being the tax bit spread over the year ain't bad. I wouldn't hesitate buying a clean one.

no money mo pro

kay 9 wrote: »

I'd rate them highly. Good 2.4 td. Easy work on etc. Comfortable. Biggest downside being the tax bit spread over the year ain't bad. I wouldn't hesitate buying a clean one.

Thanks for your replies, tax is a bummer

Henry Ford III

I like them but they won't be cheap to run. They are high and heavy which means the tyres and brakes will be working hard. Budget to change them regularly.

If I had 3 kids I'd be looking at a large saloon/estate car with much lower running costs.

shietpilot

We have a 2004 one here, 2.4 D5 163 hp.

It's a very good car and over the last year it has averaged 30 MPG which is not bad in my opinion. The engine is very reliable. It feels like a very safe and robust car.

Timing belt changes are pretty cheap because it's simple to change on them. Obviously being an SUV, tyres are a bit more expensive so make sure you buy one with decent tyres so you don't need to fork out on a set right away.

no money mo pro

shietpilot wrote: »

We have a 2004 one here, 2.4 D5 163 hp.

It's a very good car and over the last year it has averaged 30 MPG which is not bad in my opinion. The engine is very reliable. It feels like a very safe and robust car.

Timing belt changes are pretty cheap because it's simple to change on them. Obviously being an SUV, tyres are a bit more expensive so make sure you buy one with decent tyres so you don't need to fork out on a set right away.

Thanks for all your replies, when did you buy your 04? If you don't mind me asking, How much did you pay for it?

Thanks all

Henry Ford III

The 2.4d with the auto gearbox is a good combo. Suits the vehicle well.

shietpilot

no money mo pro wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies, when did you buy your 04? If you don't mind me asking, How much did you pay for it?

Thanks all

I think we paid around €3500 roughly a year ago. It was leaking oil though and needed to get a crankshaft seal done...

no money mo pro

Thanks again guys and gals for all the info..... Last question, whats the timing belt interval on them? The one I'm looking at has 100k miles on it with it's original belt.

James Bond Junior

Make sure the auto gearbox is shifting 100% when hot. If it is slipping at all you'll need a oil change at the very least which is a very specialised job and needs VERY specific oil which is not cheap at all.

Gingganggooley

If the oil in the gearbox hasn't been changed regularly and you go and change it, you'll likely find out that the gearbox will fail 5000 miles later. So stay away from poorly minded examples. The ECU also fails around 150k.

shietpilot

no money mo pro wrote: »

Thanks again guys and gals for all the info..... Last question, whats the timing belt interval on them? The one I'm looking at has 100k miles on it with it's original belt.

Timing belt is due every 160000 km / 10 years so yours is due now.

Gingganggooley wrote: »

The ECU also fails around 150k.

Which year has ECU failures because around 2005 the ECU changed from an EDC15 model to an EDC16 and they are completely different.

no money mo pro

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the info.
I had a 02 Audi Allroad for 3 years that had a FASH but even that cost me €3-4k in parts and labour over the time I had it, that's not including tyres and tax.

I'd hate to get into another car that'd cost a bomb to maintain, I'm probably better off getting an estate for the moment and look at getting a newer, low mileage Xc90 next year.

Idbatterim

tax on cc system is 1034 on newer system for that car it is 1200!!! as you also point out, you will be saving a heap on depreciation and interest (if applicable)

Arthur Daley

Have a petrol 2.4. Which averages 22-23 mpg so long as you are not driving around town. Got petrol as I saw at the time there may be some issues with diesel in the early years of the xc90. Specially around gearbox on the diesel.

It's a lovely luxury driver for motorway cruises and general out of town driving. But like an old range rover these are never going to be average cost to run. Every big luxury 4×4 needs a fair budget for fuel, tyres and routine maintenance before you hit into major snags on an 11/12 year old car.

Some design is great. Some design (fuel filler door holder on all of that generation of volvos, foot brake is a poor design) is surprisingly cheap, but I guess you have to take the rough with smooth from the ford ownership of volvo, jaguar, land rover.

no money mo pro

I have seen quite a few low mileage, FVSH for sale in the UK. A high spec 05 with 67000 miles would cost around € 10k to buy and clear, it'll be next year so :-)